Soft c and soft g

When does the rule apply?

This rule matters for reading as much as spelling. A student who sees c or g has to look one letter ahead before saying anything. C is close to perfectly regular. G is less reliable: many very common words keep a hard g before e or i (get, give, girl, begin), and they are some of the first words students read. Teach soft c first, then soft g with its exceptions in view.

Words that follow the rule

Words that break the rule

How do you teach it?

Make the look-ahead step physical. Students put one finger on the c or g and a second finger on the next letter. If the second finger lands on e, i or y, the first letter goes soft. Practice with lists that mix hard and soft: cat, cent, cot, city, cup, cycle. Then do the same with g.

"Here's a new word: c-e-l-l. Before you read it, look at the letter after c. It's e. So c says /s/. Read it: cell. Now g-i-a-n-t. Letter after g? i. G usually says /j/ before i: giant. Usually, not always. G-i-f-t is 'gift'."

What is the common error, and the fix?

Readers say "kent" for cent and give gem a hard g. Spellers write "sity" and "jiant", which are reasonable guesses from sound. The reading fix is the two-finger look-ahead. The spelling fix is knowing that /s/ before e, i or y is often c, and /j/ before e, i or y is often g.

Sort it: a hands-on activity

Set up four columns: hard c, soft c, hard g and soft g. Students sort 24 cards, then highlight the letter after each c or g. The hard g column will collect a few words with e or i after the g; those are the exceptions to learn.

How this list was built